A regulatory barrier is a rule or policy that is out of touch with reality. For instance, when planning and zoning rules don’t allow the kind of housing that is affordable to people who live or work in your community, that’s a regulatory barrier.

For a long time, many American cities housed their poorest residents in giant public housing towers that had little going for them except for the fact they were affordable. Crime was rampant and indiscriminate, drugs were everywhere, and children who grew up in housing projects often had little access to educational opportunities that would allow them to live a better life than their parents did. Perhaps the most illustrative story of the horror of the housing projects was that of Dantrell Davis, the seven-year-old boy shot to death on his way to school one morning in the Cabrini Green project in Chicago.

The riverfront has long been Anthony Cargile’s home. What’s new is the roof over his head. In March, Cargile became one of the first residents to move into a brand new building in a budding development along the American River. Before then, he slept on the riverbank, the shadow of the Cannery Place Apartments growing in his proverbial backyard.

Mayor Bill de Blasio is expected to announce on Tuesday an aggressive plan to shore up New York City's deteriorating public housing, calling for significant new financial help from the city and for squeezing more revenue out of the housing projects and their residents.

Over the past few months, I have become increasingly aware of the housing shortage affecting many in our community. My awareness jumped to a whole new level when I found out about a young family — a husband, wife, and their 3-year-old child — that lives in their car because they cannot find a place to live. Even more disturbing to me was the fact that the wife is working and the husband just got a job. The stable housing they need and can afford is just not available.

Advocates for Miamians who live paycheck-to-paycheck are unveiling on Thursday an ambitious program to build as many as 1,000 new affordable housing units designed to prevent families from falling into homelessness. The program, which is being spearheaded by the Miami Coalition for the Homeless, aims to raise millions of dollars in private investment to encourage area developers to set aside units for “extremely low income” residents — renters who earn the minimum wage, or only about 30 percent of the city’s median income. Persuading developers to build such housing is enormously difficult without government or private subsidies.

Last September, the City Council discussed a projected funding shortfall for the housing programs provided by the City and Housing Authority. At the Council's March 23 meeting, the Council reexamined current housing programs and the problems of funding. Culver City Community Development Director Sol Blumenfeld and Housing Director Tevis Barnes gave the Council a detailed staff report on the options available.

The Housing Authority of Island County will open its Section 8 waiting list for the first time in over six years next month. Beginning April 1, the public can apply to get on the list at a variety of locations throughout Island County. The application window lasts 60 days, closing May 31. Applications will be available at the following places once the period opens:

Different housing programs have different features. While they all help make your rent more affordable, it is important to understand the features of each program so that you can apply to the ones that are best suited to your family. If you have questions about a housing program, talk to your local housing authority or local community action program. Here are some things to know:

Despite a continuing shortfall of federal funds for public housing capital improvements, a second source of funds will help the Columbia Housing Authority begin a $22 million renovation and rehabilitation of 360 apartment units. The project, made available through the Rental Assistance Demonstration program, will include the “gut rehab” of the 84 oldest public housing units near downtown, said Phil Steinhaus, Columbia Housing Authority CEO.

The New York City Council Committee on Public Housing met this morning to discuss the sale by the New York City Housing Authority to private developers of a 50 percent ownership stake in six project-based Section 8 sites, comprising 10 buildings and 874 units located in the Bronx, Manhattan and Brooklyn. The sale, which places the properties in the hands of the newly-formed Triborough Preservation Partners, a public-private partnership between NYCHA and private developers L+M Development Partners Inc.